Finding My Writer in Hallmark Movies

I found it interesting that writers seemed to make up a disproportionate number of the heroines with the last crop. I know I watched three surrounding writers – but there were two that connected with me in more than just the, “I need a tissue, because love wins in the end” way of your normal Hallmark movie.

In the first, The Mistletoe Inn, our writer is so set on perfection that she cannot bring herself to let anyone read her work. Now, the whole romance-writer-falling-in-love-at-a-writers-conference-while-besting-her-ex-who’s-also-at-the-conference part is not what resonated. What spoke to me was the finding-her-self-confidence-and-getting-over-herself part.

Caution! Woman Writing!

Over the past few years, I’ve been getting better at telling that little demon in my brain, “Thank you for sharing, now shut up” when it starts to tell me that I can’t, don’t, or am not good enough. 2017, however, was notable for getting over myself. I actively worked on projects that I would have nixed just months before. And, I decided to not do some things because they were not in step with who I am, what I do, and how I want to be. Just because I know full well that I could do them, doesn’t mean that it is right for me to actually do them.

In movie two, Christmas Getaway, we meet a travel writer who’s only Christmas tradition is that she spends it in some exotic location – even her childhood Christmases were spent in other countries as her parents ran some international business. Now she must write a story about a “traditional Christmas” and is flummoxed. Not only does she have to get back to basics, she needs to figure out what the basics are!

In all my getting over myself last year, I got away from my basics. I’ve been missing my basics. My basics pay.

So, while 2017 was the year of getting over myself – a good thing to do regularly – my view for 2018 is one of more balance. Stick to my basics, just not to the point of closing out opportunities that could mix things up (also a good thing from time to time) and maybe even make my basics better.

And once again I remember that wisdom, life lessons, and inspiration can be found anywhere – even sappy Hallmark Christmas movies.